I’ve made some bad assumptions

I’ve made some bad assumptions over the course of my life. I’m sure I’ll continue to make other bad assumptions. That’s part of what it means to be human after all. We start with an assumption that our thoughts, experiences, beliefs, and more are “normal.” And as we go through life, we learn that isn’t the case. Or at the very least, our own way of doing things and living life isn’t the most common way to doing things.

I’m not sure why it takes so long though to figure some of this stuff out.

I have talked before about waking up and hoping beyond hope that humanity will change and just be better to each other. And every day I end up disappointed. Maybe my expectations are just too high. Or maybe I’m assuming that lots of people want to improve. Regardless, I have realized this is a ridiculous expectation. I’m the one being irrational. Humanity has a long, painful history of not being kind to one another. What makes me think this would change during my lifetime?

I’m getting a better understanding of Jesus’ phrase “the poor you will always have with you.” We could easily expand that phrase to include war, violence, crime, cruelty, abuse, manipulation, con artists, power hungry people, corruption, destruction, and more. The names of the people involved change, but the stories are always essentially the same at their core.

I make bad assumptions that everyone is capable of (fill in the blank with your favorite option). Reality doesn’t show this to be true. There are a certain percentage of any population that either doesn’t possess the capacity, know how, or desire to (do the thing you listed above). That doesn’t make some better than others. It means we all have capacity issues; we lack knowledge of how to do things, or we just don’t have the desire to grow in certain areas of life. It makes us human. The only thing that changes is what each of us lack or are incapable of.

Here’s a simple personal example. I have a fear of heights. Lots of people assume that someone with this fear can overcome it through a variety of methods (going up into a high height being the primary one). I’ve tried that several times. These often make for humorous stories — the contrast of a height that is perfectly safe but my mind and body being terrified regardless. I think it is safe to argue that I have a capacity issue with this. I don’t see myself being able to overcome this fear — regardless of what I try. My brain just won’t let me. So that means I have to…